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Body, burnt vehicle found in Decatur County ditch

Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane said the investigation began around 4:28 p.m. Saturday after the Sheriff's office responded to a call.

Body, burnt vehicle found in Decatur County ditch

Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane said the investigation began around 4:28 p.m. Saturday after the Sheriff's office responded to a call.

A PERSON NEARBY WAS HIT BY DEBRIS AND SUFFERED A MINOR INJURY. A DECATUR COUNTY TOWN IS IN SHOCK TONIGHT. THIS, AFTER OFFICIALS RECOVERED A BODY NEAR A BURNED VEHICLE. THE DAMAGE IS SO BAD, INVESTIGATORS COULDN'T IDENTIFY THE VEHICLE OR VICTIM. AS KCCI'S MARCUS MCINTOSH REPORTS, THE COMMUNITY WANTS ANSWERS. WE ARE IN RURAL LEON IN DECATUR COUNTY. WHERE A BODY WAS FOUND IN THIS AREA NEXT TO A BURNED UP VEHICLE...WHILE THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA ARE AFTER THE SAME THING WE ARE....ANSWERS. ===== IT'S A MYSTERY. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON EITHER. (((((BUTT TOO))))) THIS IS TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THIS AREA ===== GINNY AND STEVEN BETTIN, BA-TEEN, SAY WHEN WORD SPREAD THROUGH LEON THAT A BODY WAS FOUND BY A BURNED VEHICLE NEAR THEIR HOME...THEIR FIRST THOUGHT WAS DISBELIEF. SECOND CAME THEIR DESIRE TO KNOW MORE. ===== FIRST THING I DID WAS LOOK OUT MY WINDOW AND UP AND DOWN THE ROAD...BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WAS ON PONY FARM ROAD WHICH IS RIGHT THERE. ===== THEY BOTH CAME HOME AROUND 6 SATURDAY EVENING. NEITHER HEARD NOR SAW ANYTHING ON THE WAY ONTO THEIR PROPERTY. ==== IF YOU SEE AN AMBULANCE OR SOMETHING YOU ARE GOING TO KNOW THEY ARE OUT THERE AND YOU HEAR THEM. ==== THE DECATUR COUNTY SHERIFF SAYS THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVES REACHING OUT TO SURROUNDING AGENCIES ABOUT MISSING PERSONS REPORTS. INVESTIGATORS DO NOT THINK FOUL PLAY IS A FACTOR IN THE DEATH. ======= THIS IS A SAFE COMMUNITY (((((BUTT TOO))))) THERE'S GOOD FOLKS AND THEY WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER. ======= I SPOKE WITH THE DECATUR COUNTY SHERIFF ON THE PHONE AND HE TELLS ME THEY BELIEVE THEY KNOW THE IDENTITY OF THE DECEASED. THEY ARE NOT RELEASING THAT INFORMATION UNTIL T
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Body, burnt vehicle found in Decatur County ditch

Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane said the investigation began around 4:28 p.m. Saturday after the Sheriff's office responded to a call.

A body was found in rural Decatur County near a burnt vehicle on Saturday.Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane said the investigation began around 4:28 p.m. Saturday after the Sheriff's office responded to a call. The body and vehicle were found East of Leon city limits. Leon residents Ginny and Steven Bettin say when word spread through Leon that a body was found by a burned vehicle near their home, their first thought was disbelief."This is totally out of character for this area," said Steven Bettin.The Bettins both came home around 6 p.m. Saturday evening. Neither heard nor saw anything on the way onto their property."If there's an ambulance or something, you are going to know they are out there and you hear them," said Ginny Bettin. "This is a safe community... There's good folks and they watch out for each other." Lane told KCCI that there aren't any missing persons reports in the area, but his team has reached out to surrounding counties to see if they have any reports.Both the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Iowa State Patrol are also investigating. The sheriff's office tells KCCI that they believe they know the identity of the deceased. Autopsy results are expected this week.Law enforcement does not suspect foul play at this time. Previous coverage:

A body was found in rural Decatur County near a burnt vehicle on Saturday.

Decatur County Sheriff Chris Lane said the investigation began around 4:28 p.m. Saturday after the Sheriff's office responded to a call. The body and vehicle were found East of Leon city limits.

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Leon residents Ginny and Steven Bettin say when word spread through Leon that a body was found by a burned vehicle near their home, their first thought was disbelief.

"This is totally out of character for this area," said Steven Bettin.

The Bettins both came home around 6 p.m. Saturday evening. Neither heard nor saw anything on the way onto their property.

"If there's an ambulance or something, you are going to know they are out there and you hear them," said Ginny Bettin. "This is a safe community... There's good folks and they watch out for each other."

Lane told KCCI that there aren't any missing persons reports in the area, but his team has reached out to surrounding counties to see if they have any reports.

Both the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Iowa State Patrol are also investigating.

The sheriff's office tells KCCI that they believe they know the identity of the deceased. Autopsy results are expected this week.

Law enforcement does not suspect foul play at this time.

Previous coverage: